Issues Of Trust
by Angel From Above Is Here
Summary: Minerva finds herself in a very difficult position at the start of the new schoolyear. It seems the bond of trust between her and someone close to her will be tested. Who will she find herself at odds with? And how will it all play out? Read to find out! This is the seventh story in my Sirius and Minerva series.


_**A/N: Hi, everyone! After a rather long absence, I'm back! If you read the story, feel free to let me know what other stories about Sirius, Minerva and Harry you'd like to read! For example, which other events from the books would you like me to write about? Or will Harry confide in one or both of them about the horcruxes? Harry bringing home a lover (who?) to meet Sirius and Minerva? Share your ideas! And please leave me a review. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything…**_

 **Issues of trust**

Minerva stares at Albus intently. She came to his rooms to demand some answers. Why is Severus now teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts after having been denied the post for so long? Why is Slughorn back? And why didn't he tell her about all of this?

Albus is her best friend, has been her entire adult life. Truth be told, she's a little offended. And more than anything, she's worried. She can feel Albus is hiding something and she doesn't like it in the least.

"My dear, I have simply made the decisions that are in the best interest of the students and the school. After having searched for so many Defence teacher for the past years, I chose a different path. I thought that perhaps, it would benefit us all. Especially Severus," Albus smiles.

But the twinkle that's usually in his eyes isn't there. His smile seems forced. It's clear that he wants her to believe all is fine, even if it might not be.

"I understand that you're doing what you believe to be best, Albus. But I'm not so sure that there wasn't a better candidate. You said yourself last year that Severus shouldn't be put in that position. That he wasn't ready and wouldn't be any time soon. You've turned around completely, without any warning! Forgive me for being more than a little surprised," she says, her voice harsher than she'd intended.

She hides the other emotions coursing through her. For some reason, for the first time in her life, she doesn't think Albus would understand what she's feeling. It hurts, but she stands by her decision as she waits for him to speak again.

"Minerva, you have every right to tell me all of this. But the decision has been made and I can't go back now. You'll just have to accept this," Albus says, giving her a glare she hasn't seen since his teaching days.

"Fine. I will take my leave then. Just know that I'd appreciate being kept in the loop next time, Albus. I don't like surprises," she sternly says.

No more words are spoken by either of them after that. Instead, Albus bows his head one last time in acceptance and sends her on her way. And Minerva steps out of his rooms, unwillingly yet knowing there's no other choice.

Her heels click rather loudly through the empty halls. It's past curfew, the students are in their dormitories. The only one she could potentially run into is Filch, or perhaps his cat. Which she sincerely hopes will not come to pass.

Luck seems to be on her side; she reaches one of the small side doors leading out of the castle without being noticed by anyone. Quickly, she pushes the door open a little bit. Her feline form will be able to slide through easily, and she can push it closed so no-one will notice it was ever even open.

After doing that, she runs towards the Hogwarts gates. There are Aurors there, many of whom she trained during their school days. So she hides in the longer grass to ensure none of the Aurors can see the distinctive markings on her face. When she's certain they won't notice her, she jumps through the bars of the gate.

She then hurries into Hogsmeade. She slides into a small alleyway and transforms back into herself. After looking around and listening closely one last time, she steps onto the streets and walks towards The Hog's Head.

Aberforth's asleep, as the pub's been closed for two hours by now. But Minerva grabs the keys Albus' brother gave to her at the end of last school year because he was annoyed by her constantly waking him up to deliver news to the headquarters. At least, that's what he said, but his grin told her he didn't mind her stopping by that much either. In fact, they've gotten to be friends of sorts after so many late night visits.

Once inside, she moves to the back room where Abe keeps his cleaning supplies. And now, her broom as well. Now that the Ministry is aware of Voldemort's return, it's no longer safe to floo to the headquarters of the Order.

Not that Minerva minds; she played Quidditch during her school days and still enjoys flying very much. But it takes her far longer than she likes to make the trip without Apparating or Flooing.

The cool wind blowing in Minerva's face makes her feel more wake. She hadn't realised how tired she really is until now. But seeing as it's been a long an trying day, it should not surprise her this much.

Soon enough, her thoughts turn to recognising the landscape beneath her. It's as much for distraction from her thoughts as it us out of necessity. She can't affords to lose time by flying past Grimmauld Place; it's late and she has to make it back to the school before dawn as well.

Finally, she can begin her descend. She lands in a deserted area of the park and quickly makes her way to Sirius's house along the now deserted streets. She walks fast, avoiding the pools of light cast by the street lamps so people looking outside their windows won't notice her.

Finally, she reaches Sirius' house. Slowly and softly, she pushes open the door. It feels as much like coming home as it does when she steps foot into McGonagall manor or Hogwarts. Despite the unpleasant reason for being her, her heart beats a little faster because Sirius is so close now.

Nine months into her relationship, she's still every bit as much in love as she was at the very beginning. At first, she was surprised by it. Now, she understands that this is what love is supposed to be like and she enjoys the warmth the knowledge brings.

Without making a sound, she start to climb the stairs. Sirius should be in his rooms, there's no reason for him to be anywhere else. The order's had a few busy months, after the news of Voldemort's return.

She shivers a little as she thinks the name. Albus want her to use it, but after so many years she still doesn't feel one hundred percent safe doing that. Especially now that he's back to cause trouble.

Just in time, she realises she's reached Sirius' door. Softly, she knock. No reply comes, however. She repeats her previous actions, but to no avail. Was she mistaken and is Sirius somewhere else in the house?

There's only one way to find out. She opens the door almost soundlessly, and steps inside. Since her animagus form is a cat, her eyes adjust to the darkness far more quickly and she sees the outline of her partner lying in the bed.

"Sirius?" she whispers, walking more closely to the bed.

He doesn't move. All she can hear, are his soft and even breaths. For a moment she considers leaving; what would be the point of waking him up? He's obviously just as tired as the other members of the Order.

But Sirius needs to know about Albus' weird behaviour, sooner rather than later. There's no one else she can confide in, and perhaps Sirius will be able to reassure her. Or help her keep an eye on Albus. After all, her friend's behaviour isn't the only reason she's worried about him.

"Sirius, please wake up," she begs, her voice a little louder now as she takes another step closer to her partner.

Sirius does wake up the, looking surprised for about a second. He sits up, scooting over as he raises an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sorry for waking you, love. Really… I just needed to talk to you," Minerva says, sitting down.

"I told you I'd always be there for you, every time of the day or night. Come on, tell me what's on your mind, beautiful," Sirius implores softly, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently for a second.

Minerva chews on her bottom lip for a moment to decide where to start. But then, the words start pouring out. She tells Sirius about Severus and Slughorn and about Albus' reaction to their conversation. And then…

"And that isn't everything! His hand Sirius… I don't know what he did with it, but it's… It's black. And it keeps getting worse day by day! He doesn't talk about it, pretends nothing happened. I'm scared…" she finally admits, almost inaudibly.

Sirius envelops her in a hug then, making her feel more at ease. He rubs her back, whispering sweet nothings in her ear until he's certain she can deal with the situation once again. He then gives her his thoughts on what she's just told him.

"I'm as surprised to hear Snape's teaching Defence this year. Dumbledore kept him away from his old vices like he believed Snape would relapse if he came into contact with the Dark Arts again! And I still think he will… Mark my words… But maybe… I don't know… Maybe Dumbledore wanted to give him one last chance. Or its some devil-you-know kind of thing?" Sirius suggests, not sounding entirely sure.

"Albus is a firm believer in second chances, you're right. It just seems like an odd moment to give Severus one. And about that devil-you-know theory of yours… He still would have the chance to observe Severus if he were teaching potions like every other year… Maybe he wanted Severus to finally have something he's wanted for so long?" Minerva says, biting her lip again.

Sirius cocks his head to the side, thinking about it. Minerva knows it wasn't a very convincing argument she made before, but she doesn't know what other Albus could have for doing this. Her old friend is as unreadable as a complete stranger to her at this moment. And she hates admitting it, so she won't say it out loud to anyone.

"I suppose Albus might be giving the greasy git his second chance now because Voldemort's back. He might want to figure out if he's still playing for our team now that his old buddies are getting some of their power back," Sirius says, shrugging his shoulders a bit as he speaks.

She punches Sirius when he call Severus a greasy git; despite his past, Severus was never as mean in her eyes than people made him out to be. Sirius rubs his shoulder and looks at her apologetically. Then, Minerva rests her head on Sirius' shoulder. She wants to enjoy the closeness as much as possible. Every stolen moment counts, she treasures every second she spends around him as if it was her most valuable possession. That's the only reason she

"And about Albus' hand… It could be a great many things he's done to make it look like this. It could be a spell, a potion. He might be ill. But it could be something very simple as well, Min. You know, an injury that got badly infected and is taking longer to heal. But he's got Poppy. And Snape, who is very good at potions. He'll be fine in no time," Sirius tells her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She lifts her head and kisses his lips, showing him her gratitude for being there for her and her love for him. Sometimes, actions speak louder and more clearly than words. It took her a long time to see that, but she knows it now. All because of Sirius.

"If you want to get some sleep before you have to start teaching, I think you should get going," Sirius whispers in her ear, the sadness about that clearly audible in his words.

She doesn't want to go either. Returning to the castle means returning to all of her worries. But Sirius has a point, and she can't afford to stand before her class looking like she hasn't slept in a week.

"You're right. I'll be back on Friday, I promise. Will you walk me out?" she asks, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Sirius steps off of the bed and takes her hand back in his instead of speaking. He leads her down the stairs, their fingers intertwined and his thumb tracing intricate patterns on her skin as they walk.

"I'll see you on Friday, then," Sirius says to her.

And then, he hugs her for the second time that evening. It's a strong yet gentle hug, an embrace that tells her he's as impatient to see her again as she is to see him. She returns the favour with the same strength.

"I'll miss you every second of every day until then," she promises, letting go of him and stepping back.

They hold on to each other for as long as is humanly possible. When they're finally forced to let go, Minerva's hand feels far more empty and cold than it should.

But she tries to ignore that feeling as she retraces her steps, back to her broom and eventually back to Hogwarts. It feels as if it takes her far longer than the journey in the opposite direction, despite the road being just as long.

However, at three in the morning, she is in her bed in her rooms. She's tired, her body feels heavy and almost lifeless against her cool sheets. She doesn't think she could move even if she was forced to.

But despite that, it takes another hour before sleep finally comes to claim her.


End file.
